Lubricating system



March 8, 1932. G. M. BARNES LUBRICATING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 21, 1951 INVENTOR G1 a dem-L M Elarne Patented Mar. 8, 193:2

GLADEON M. BARNES, OF THE 'UNITED STATES ARMY, HASTINGS, MICHIGAN LUBRICATING SYSTEM Application led September 21, 1931. Serial No. 564,056.

(GRANTED UNDER THE Aer or MARCH s, 1883, as AMENDED APRIL 3o, 192s; 37o o.e.,757)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a system of lubricating cylinders and pistons and is a variation of the system disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,806,884 of May 26, 1931.

The purpose or" the invention is to employ a gaseous medium for forcing a lubricant to the joints of a cylinder and piston structure with a view to lubricating the bearing surfaces and establishing uid seals to prevent leakage of the pressure medium.

r1`he principal objects of the invention are to provide an arrangement wherein a prescribed amount ot lubricant may be delivered at each stroke of the piston and wherein the pressure medium will not be intermingled with the main supply of lubricant.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this speciication.

One method of carrying out the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing which is a more or less diagrammatic illustration in the nature orp a longitudinal sectional view of a cylinder and piston.

There is shown a main cylinder 5 which, in the application of the invention to a recoil and counterrecoil mechanism for guns, is attached to a gun barrel 6 which is reciprocable relative to a cradle 7. A valve block 8 secured to the cylinder and gun barrel contains a valve 9 past which a portion of the gases of discharge of the gun are delivered to an inlet in the cylinder designated at 10.

Within the cylinder is a piston having a hollow piston rod 11 secured at one end to the piston head 12 and at the other end to the cradle. The piston head is provided with spaced sets of packing members 13-13 and the cylinder head 14 through which the piston rod passes is likewise provided with spaced sets of packing members 15-15.

The cylinder 16 secured tothe cylinder 5 b y means of the hanger 17 constitutes a reservoir for holding a lubricant. In the rear end otl the cylinder 16 is a closure 18 provided with a chamber 19 whose inner end has fluid communication with-the interior of the cylinder by means of a passage 20. A valve 21 forV closing the passage 2O is normally held in the open position by a'spring 22, being limited inmovement by a Stop member 23 engageable with the inner face of the'closure.

The outerY end of the closure is in the'form of a plug 18a and is provided with apassa'ge 24 for admitting the pressure mediumy tothe chamber 19. The pressure medium is 'conducted to the passage 24 by a tube 25 opening into the forward end of the cylinder 5.

An inclinedpassage 26 opening into the chamber 19 adj accnt thevalve 21 and remote from ythe passage 24 serves to conduct lubricant to-a tube 27 leading to a passage 28 provided in the cylinder head 14 between the packing members 15-15. A tube 27 a branch-v ing from the tube 27 delivers lubricant to the stem of the valve 9.

A second lubricant cylinder 29 is associated with the stationary piston through the cradle 7 and has a closure 30 provided with a chamber 31 and valveV 32 similar tothe closure 18. A tube 33 establishes communication between the chamber 31 and a passage 34 leading to the inside of the hollow piston rod 11. A port 35 in the piston rod adjacent the piston head venables the pressure medium from the cylinder 5 to be delivered to the passage 34 and thence,V to the chamber 3l.

` A tube 36 establishes communication between the chamber 31 and a passage 37 leadingto the interiorvof a tube 38 within theA hollow piston rod 1,1. The tube 38 serves to deliver lubricant to a passage 39 leading to a peripheral groove 40 in the piston head between the sets of packing members 13-13. 1n operation the relative movement of the cylinder and piston acts to compress the gases which are delivered to the chambers 19 and 31 through the respective tubes 25 and 33. The pressure medium acting on the lubricant in the chambers, causes the valves of said chamber to be closed, and forces the lubricant through the tubes 27 and 38 to the bearing surfaces of the cylinder and piston structure, 'Where it is utilized to lubricate sov and establish Huid seals orpreventing leakage of the pressure medium. On the return stroke of the piston the pressure is exhausted, thereby permitting the valves in the chambers to'return to the open position and admit lubricant from the reservoir.

Thev foregoing arrangement, in addition to providing for Vthe delivery of measured amounts of lubricant and preventing the intermingling of the pressure medium With the lubricant in the main reservoir, lends itself readily for experimental determination of the proper quantity of lubricant to employ in that the volume of the chambers may be easily varied.

. I claim l. In combination )with a cylinder and pis-` ton, a vvalved gas inlet orthe cylinder, a lubricant reservoir carried by the cylinder, a lubricant reservoir carried by the piston, a chamber in each of the reservoirs having valved communication With Vits reservoir,

means V'for delivering gas pressure to the chambers, and means for conducting lubricant from the chambers to bearing surfaces of the cylinder and piston and to'the valved gas inlet.

2. In `combination with a pair of relatively reciprocal members, avgas inlet for one of said members, a lubricant'reservolr associated With each of said members, a chamthefmain cylinder, a. closure for the lubri-V cant cylinder, a chamber in the closure having valved communication With the lubricant cylinder, and means for admitting the gaseous medium vto the chamber to close the valve andY distribute the lubricant therein.

4. In combination with a cylinder and pis- I ton and a pressure mediumtherein, a lubricant cylinder, a closure for the lubricant cylinder, a chamber in the `closure lhaving valved communication With the lubricantcylinder, and means for admittingthe pressure medium to the chamber to close the valve and distribute the lubricant therein.

5. In combination with a cylinder andpiston and a pressure medium therein, va lubricant reservoir including a measuring chamber, and meansV for admitting the ypressure medium to the measuring chamber-to distribute the lubricant therein. y

GLADEON M. BARNES. 

